Exiting Kyoto Shijo Station on the Keihan Electric Railway and proceeding straight east along Shijo Street, you will reach Yasaka Shrine. Heading south from there, you arrive at Gion, and within the expansive grounds in the eastern area of Gion stands Kodai-ji Temple. This temple was built by Nene, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to mourn his soul. Nene used to visit Kodai-ji Temple daily from the nearby Entoku-in. She and Hideyoshi fell in love during the time when he was still known as Kinoshita Tokichiro, and they married. Nene, a daughter of a noble samurai family, married Tokichiro, who came from a peasant background. Nene’s mother strongly opposed the marriage and did not approve of it until her death.
Tokichiro served Oda Nobunaga and gradually rose to prominence. Throughout this time, Nene continuously supported Tokichiro, and it is said that it was thanks to Nene’s help that Nobunaga came to patronize him.The couple did not have children, and when Hideyoshi’s son, Hideyori, was born to his concubine Yodo-dono, Nene was overjoyed. She cherished Hidetada more than anyone else, maintaining a close relationship with Yodo-dono. After Hideyoshi’s death and the suicides of Hidetada and Yodo-dono during the Siege of Osaka, Nene maintained a surprisingly amicable relationship even with the enemy general Tokugawa Ieyasu. She played a central role in the establishment of Kodai-ji Temple to enshrine Hideyoshi, with Ieyasu taking the lead in the post-war efforts.
Regardless of family or foes, Nene was a woman respected by many warriors, as evidenced by historical records. Furthermore, Nene had an unmatched love for sake, likely reflecting on Hideyoshi while enjoying the cherry blossoms and autumn leaves at Kodai-ji Temple.

京阪電鉄京都四条駅を降りて四条通りを真っ直ぐ東に進むと、八阪神社に突き当たります。そこを南に下ったところが祇園で、祇園の東の一角の広大な敷地に高台寺があります。豊臣秀吉の妻、北政所ねねが秀吉の菩提を弔うために建てた寺です。ねねはすぐ近くにある圓徳院から毎日、この高台寺にお参りしたそうです。秀吉がまだ木下藤吉郎を名乗っていた時代に相思相愛の中になり結婚しました。ねねは名家の武士の娘で藤吉郎は農民の出です。ねねの母親は結婚に大反対で死ぬまで結婚を認めませんでした。藤吉郎は織田信長に仕え、次第に頭角を表していきます。この間、藤吉郎をずっと支え、信長に引き立てられるようになったのもねねの力添えだと言われています。二人の間には子供がなく、秀吉のお妾さんの淀殿との間に秀頼ができた時も大変喜び、誰よりも秀頼を可愛がり、淀殿とも親密な関係を保ちます。秀吉が亡くなり、秀頼も淀殿も大坂夏の陣で自刃しますが、戰の後も、敵方の大将徳川家康とも仲を怪しまれるほどの良好な関係で、秀吉を祀る高台寺創建の際には家康が中心になって事にあたります。身内、敵に関わらず、ねねは多くの武将から尊敬されるほどの女性であったことが、歴史資料からも窺えます。またねねは無類のお酒好きで、高台寺の桜や紅葉を見ながら、秀吉を偲んだことでしょう。